Local air traffic control tower funding continues

TUSCALOOSA | The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday that the control tower at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport will remain funded through at least Sept. 30.

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

TUSCALOOSA | The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday that the control tower at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport will remain funded through at least Sept. 30.That date marks the end of the federal government’s current fiscal year.Tuscaloosa’s tower was one of 149 low-activity towers nationwide that are staffed with government contractors and were slated to close on June 15 as the FAA carried out its share of $85 billion in across-the-board federal budget cuts.Since March, the City Council has been making preparations to continue funding the tower and ensure that the local airport has a manually staffed tower during most hours of the day.Mayor Walt Maddox said the FAA’s decision to keep the tower open will allow the city to better prepare for an eventual closure, should the FAA choose not to restore funding next fiscal year.“This decision was crucial from both a fiscal and planning standpoint,” Maddox said. “Now that we have more time, we can be more strategic in reviewing our airport operations.”Texas-based Robinson Aviation contracts with the FAA to staff Tuscaloosa’s tower from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for $43,269 per month.Robinson Aviation employee Bill Henderson manages the control tower and said he and his fellow air traffic controllers were relieved to hear the news on Friday.Tuscaloosa residents, he said, should be glad, too.“I think with the controllers still on duty, the people of Tuscaloosa can feel safe knowing that the air space above them is controlled by their own controllers,” Henderson said.